Trader Joe's--what's your favorite item(s)? (Read 1053 times)

Our only TJs in MI are on the other side of the state, so one of my friends likes to taunt me by shipping an item or two to me from time to time. Tonite we had this awesome pouch filled with yellowfin tuna and a citrusy red curry sauce (kinda like those Starkist tuna pouches). Ate it over green beans...amazing.
Anyhow, I have a friend over near Detroit who lives near a TJs so I thinking about going over for a visit in a month or two and filling the back of my spacious little hatchback with goodies. What would you recommend that doesn't require keeping frozen (refrigeration is ok, since I might take a cooler to transport a few things back home in)?
k

'15 Goals:

• Do some dus...and some CX...and some tandem gravel...and some podiums...

• PRs

• 130#s (or less)

Mile Collector

Abs of Flabs

posted: 10/3/2006 at 10:39 AM

When I go to TJs, I tend to go for their dried fruits. It's hard to find good dried fruits in the supermarkets as they tend to add sugar or sulfides as preservatives. I loved the dried apricots and now I'm off to dried mangos. They are quite yummy and don't add on too many calories. It's also where I buy my glucosamine too. They're not as cheap as online, but definitely cheaper than supermarkets. Then there are the dark chocolates. I buy different ones every time I go just to sample it. I always end up spending too much in that place, but the food is definitely more healthful than supermarkets, at least that's how I reason with myself.

Oh, their chocolate...my friend sent me this bar that's milk chocolate surrounding dark. Now, I don't even like dark chocolate, but that was amazing! If I had any head for business I would open a TJ's franchise in our area in a heartbeat. This region is so in need of something like that.
k

'15 Goals:

Oh man. There is one not 5 minutes from me and I can recommend SO many things. I bet you could get the frozen stuff back without too much trouble. Especially the stuff that's already cooked. I'd be wary of things like raw meats, but the cooked prepared stuff would be fine.
A few staples in my diet:
Cinnamon Almonds (higher cal, but SO delicious, and if you measure them out, they're not bad)
Frozen fruits, specifically mango
Vegetable Enchiladas (I seriously eat these at least twice a week)
A tomato soup I can't remember the name of. It comes in a box. Delicious.
A lot of their prepared stuff is absolutely amazing, and easy to transport.
Really, it's one of those stores that you just have to browse. They put out an ad booklet a few times a year, and the holiday one should be out soon. Get your friend to send you one. It's filled with a lot of the stuff they've got. The selection always varies, and Christmas is my favorite time of year there.

I love the antioxidant fruit-nut mixes they are great for sprinkling on top of cereal/oatmeal and also fine as a snack.
I love their salsa too - I think the one I always keep on hand is the "salsa authentica"
Oh, and for when I don't feel like baking from scratch, their baking mixes are great (just not great for you - but hey, everything in moderation, right?)

I also live in close proximity to a Trader Joe's and it's destroyed my will to actually want to learn to cook well, or at least cook more. Here are some of my favorites (warning: I'm not the most conscious person about my diet):
- "just the clusters" cereals - the ginger almond one is awesome
- peanut butter chewy granola bars - taste like peanut butter rice krispie treats - all the other flavors are too sweet
- the pastas/raviolis/tortellini in the refrigerated section are all pretty good - I like the greek triangles
- the Indian food in a box ($2) is actually surprisingly good. Also makes for good camping food. Pair with brown basmati rice for a healthy meal!
- prig khing green beans (frozen, but shouldn't be a big deal for transport) - great with some tofu or fake meat or real meat thrown in
- there is some peanut mix that has peanut brittle in it - so good, though probably not actually good for you
My dog also loves their dog food and treats.
Now I'm hungry.

OMG, everything you guys describe sounds awesome (I think having a TJ's close by would also kill my reserve to actually cook, LOL)! And I didn't know there was even such a thing as brown basmati rice--how does it differ from the white stuff?
I've had one of their curry simmer sauces and it IS good. My friend who likes to send me TJ's stuff is Sri Lankan, so she's always sending me stuff for my curry fix, including some of her dad's own recipe curry powder.
k

'15 Goals:

Man, this stuff makes ME want to go to TJ's. I need to make a list and just go. Or find a day when I have lots of time and just browse all the aisles. It's the best store. My mom calls me every so often and asks me to get her veggie enchiladas, or their Winter Blend Coffee (it's basically just coffee with cloves, red and black peppercorns, and cinnamon in it, and then you grind it all together). And then I go in and buy 8 things of veggie enchiladas and I get strange looks

The brown basmati rice is good - it doesn't seem as fragrant as regular basmati rice, but when it's smothered by some variation of sauced vegetables or chickpeas or lentils it doesn't really seem to matter. Given my propensity for eating food that is not-quite-good for me, I like easy good-to-do things like brown rice instead of white.
There was a guy in front of me at Trader Joe's the other day that bought $240 worth of the same flavor of energy bars. I can't remember what it was but the clerk was as flabbergasted as I was.